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The city's chief executive, John Lee, has ordered the creation of an independent committee to probe the origins of a tragic inferno that claimed the lives of 151 residents.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

This past Wednesday, the majority of the tower blocks at the Wang Fuk Court—which had been undergoing extensive renovations—went up in flames. Investigators have since found that construction site netting surrounding the buildings fell short of requirements for fire resistance.

At least 13 suspects have been detained on suspicion of alleged culpable homicide, among them the directors of a contractor.

"This is indeed a tragedy, it is a big fire. Reform is necessary. Failures have been detected in multiple areas. Hence we must take decisive action to ensure that all these loopholes are eliminated," he said.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The blaze—which spread quickly both upwards and across the separate towers—was only fully doused by Friday morning, approximately two days after it started, and took over 2,000 fire service personnel to contain.

That very day, police began entering the buildings to collect forensic material. The government indicates the inquiry could last approximately a month.

Systemic Failures Identified

Several residents have stated they did not hear a fire alarm when the blaze started. Local firefighters discovered that detection devices in every tower were not working effectively.

Hong Kong's buildings department has halted for now renovation projects on three dozen private developments.

Demands for Probe and Detentions

Additionally, authorities are said to have arrested a young man on allegations of sedition on Saturday. He was among a group calling for an autonomous investigation into the tragedy. An online petition collected in excess of 10,000 supporters in less than a day before its contents were wiped.

Another two individuals, among them a former district councillor, were also taken in by officers, per press accounts.

Global Response

The rights group and The monitoring body have both criticised the said apprehensions.

"Now is the time for the Hong Kong authorities to openly examine the causes of the tragic incident...instead of silencing those who raise appropriate concerns," remarked the group.

Background and Resident Profile

The residential complex was built in the early 1980s and had provided close to 2,000 units for around 4,600 occupants, based on a recent official survey.

Approximately 40 percent of its residents are believed to be over 65 years old. Several have resided in the public housing complex from its inception.

The city's second-worst blaze on file killed 176 people in 1948 and was triggered by a blast on the lower level at a multi-story storage facility. The worst was at Happy Valley Racecourse in 1918, when more than 600 attendees lost their lives.